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JESUIT PERSPECTIVES • SPRING 2020 39
When Manny Mon was 11
years old, he came to the
U.S. from Cuba all alone,
without parents or family. Catholic
Charities helped place Mon in
foster care until his parents were
able to join him in the U.S. nearly
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During that critical period when
he was without family in a foreign
country, Jesuit High School
helped chart his course for success.
Mon took the entrance exam, was
accepted to Jesuit and provided
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Massari Scholarship), and blossomed
as a student and person.
“The fondest memories are the
interactions with classmates – being
a good student, I always helped
them with their academics,” Mon
said. “The quality of teachers that
inculcated the formation of character,
morals, ethics, and self-respect,
these impacted the rest of
my life.”
A life that became a remarkable
series of successes.
Valedictorian of Jesuit’s Class of
1968, he earned a full scholarship
to Saint Louis University, where he
graduated summa cum laude in
1972 with a 4.0 GPA.
He returned to Florida to attend
the University of Florida where he
received a medicine scholarship
and a graduate school fellowship.
Following his pediatric residency at
UF, Dr. Manuel Mon moved to Fort
Myers to practice.
There, he set down roots as a
pediatrician. Forty years of treating
children, infants, and adolescents
later, he’s still there. During his
spare time, Dr. Mon became an
adjunct professor at Florida Gulf
Coast University, where he taught
for 14 years.
Dr. Mon also is a member of Jesuit’s
1899 Bequest Society. Bequest
Society members are those who
have indicated in writing that they
have made provisions for Jesuit in
their will or estate plans.
“I chose a trust which would form
a scholarship foundation for Jesuit
High School,” Dr. Mon said.
Dr. Mon and his wife, Diana, who
passed away in 2019, had four children,
now in their late 40s, and 11
grandchildren. His favorite pas-
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and astronomy. And generosity.
“My ultimate goal is to provide
students that cannot afford it with
the ability to attend Jesuit and
receive the quality education that
will immensely improve their success
in life,” Dr. Mon said. “To give
those students a chance to attend
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ence on the rest of my life.”
My ultimate goal is to provide
students that cannot afford it with
THE ABILITY TO ATTEND JESUIT.